York County residents reported hearing a loud "boom" on Saturday that may have been York County's latest earthquake, Jeri Jones of Jones Geological Services in Spring Grove said Sunday.

"A lot of reports have come out of the Wellsville area," he said.

The reports ranged from Lower Allen Township in Cumberland County to Biglerville in Adams County, he said. Although that's a sizeable area, the seismograph at Millersville University -- the closest one to the area -- did not register anything.

Jones said he received a call from someone who lives on Route 74 just about two miles south of the Northern High School. The explosion happened around 9:20 p.m., Jones was told.

Jones said that after he became aware of the possible seismic activity, he checked in with Fort Indiantown Gap to see if they had been firing any heavy artillery at that time, and found out they had not.

Jones also said that hearing a "boom" usually means that the earthquake was very shallow, "probably less than a mile-and-a-half deep."

He added that the shifting rock under the affected area might be diabase, the type of igneous rock that runs under the very seismically active Dillsburg area.

"Diabase is so dense, when it shifts, everybody knows about it," he said. Diabase, "literally explodes from pressure," he said.

As for what caused it, Jones believes the earthquakes in recent years might be tied to heavy rainfall.

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York County received 9.11 inches of rain in two days last month.

"That's a theory," he said late Saturday night.

He wants to collect more information from residents to see if he can pinpoint an epicenter, Jones said.

Anyone with information may call Jones at 717-887-7103 or email him at jonesgeo@comcast.net

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